"We could never predict that scoreline" - Bruno Fernandes at the double as United on brink of Europa League final after victory in Bilbao | OneFootball

Athletic Club 0-3 Manchester United

Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United are within touching distance of the Europa League final after a stunning victory over Athletic Club in the first leg of the semi-finals in Bilbao on Thursday night.

Bruno Fernandes scored twice after Casemiro had opened the scoring to give United a three-goal lead at half time over the Spaniards, who had Dani Vivian sent off during a disastrous 15-minute spell before the break.

The scoreline is a commanding one, but does not quite tell the full story of the night at a packed San Mamés stadium. United appeared nervy during the early exchanges, with former Sporting midfielder Manuel Ugarte among those who needlessly ceded possession too regularly under the intense pressure of the hosts.

Yet having survived an opening which saw Nico Williams head off target when well-placed, United took the lead on 30 minutes when centre-back Harry Maguire produced a remarkable piece of wing play to cross the ball to Ugarte, whose flick-on found Casemiro at the back post to nod home.

Whilst United were buoyed by the goal, Athletic’s panic soon led to a decisive error five minutes later by defender Vivian, who tugged Rasmus Hojlund as the Dane attempted to get on the end of another dangerous ball. After VAR consultation, Vivian was dismissed and a penalty awarded, which Fernandes converted with minimal fuss.

The two-goal lead was more than United could have wished for given their poor domestic form, but things got even better when Ugarte’s backheel put Fernandes through on goal in the 45th minute, with the Portugal man again demonstrating great composure to calmly slot his finish past Julen Agirrezabala.

The second half passed without much further action; United seemingly content to settle for their three-goal advantage, while a shellshocked Athletic lacked the belief to overcome their numerical disadvantage and offer little in the way of threat to Andre Onana’s goal.

Reaction:

Bruno Fernandes:

“You could never predict a scoreline like that,” Fernandes said after the match. “A very tough team, the atmosphere was unbelievable. Obviously the result for us is unbelievable. In the first half we got the result and the second half controlled the game. I think we should push a little more in the second half, be a little quicker on the ball to go forward, but we controlled the game and that’s good.

“We were saying all weak and in the days before the game that the atmosphere is going to be bouncing, they’re going to come and press us, they will try in the first 15-20 minutes, we just have to play on the ball to calm them down. Make the game a little bit slower for us in the first 15 minutes and then it will come to us.”

Ruben Amorim:

“[The players] have to think about the second leg and they have to think about the first 20 minutes than the rest of the game,” Amorim said in his post-match press conference. “Because the [second] game is going to be really tough. Anything can change and that is my message to the players.

“This is not done, they can do the same thing in Old Trafford because they are really strong, they are really intense. And a sending off can happen in our stadium, so we need to be prepared.

“Best performance and result of my time? No, I think it’s the best result because nobody expected this result. But again, I think you saw two games today: the first 25 minutes and then after the goal and also the sending off changed the game. In the second half it was good because we tried to be cautious, we created chances and the most important thing was the opponent didn’t get many shots on our goal.”

Should United finish the job next week at Old Trafford, they could find themselves in an all-English final against Tottenham Hotspur. The fellow English side earned a 3-1 victory over Bodø / Glimt in London, ahead of a return leg in Norway in their semi-final.